The first canal was dug under the orders of Pharaoh Necho II.
This connected the Nile to the Bitter Lakes and these to the Red
Sea.

285 to 246 B.C.

Ptolemy II widened the canal.

96 to 117

Darius and Trajan renovated Necho IIs canal, but as this was
not very suitable for navigation it was later abandoned.

1574

The idea of digging a canal through the Suez isthmus was put to
the Council of Ten by the Republic of Venice. The project was
abandoned as being too expensive.

1798

The engineers accompanying Bonaparte in Egypt had been ordered
by the Directoire to dig the isthmus. Bonaparte put J-B. Le Père in charge of carrying out a survey. Despite Laplaces opinion to the contrary, Le Père concluded
that the level of the Red Sea was higher than that of the Mediterranean,
an error which was to set the project back by half a century.

1833

A (subsequently disregarded) project for a canal across the Suez isthmus by the Saint Simonian Prosper Enfantin.

1854
30 November

First concession granted by Said Pasha, son of Mohammed-Ali, to
Ferdinand de Lesseps for the digging and use of a canal through
the Suez isthmus for 99 years.

1857
5 November

Floatation of Suez Canal. The share price was fixed at Frf 500,
and 207,229 of the 400,000 shares available were bought.

185815 December

Establishment of the «Compagnie universelle du canal maritime
de Suez».

1859
25 April

Start of the digging of the canal at Port Said.

1859
9 June

An official order by the Egyptian government to halt work, ignored by Ferdinand de Lesseps.

1859
23 October

After meeting with Ferdinand de Lesseps, Napoleon III officially supports
the canal project.

1862
18 November

The waters of the Mediterranean flow into Lake Timsah.

1863
18 January

Upon the death of Said, Ismail Pasha becomes the Viceroy of Egypt.
Turkey orders the project to be suspended.

1864

The conflict between Egypt and Turkey is resolved thanks to Napoleon
IIIs arbitration. The Company then abandons the fresh water canal
and 60,000 hectares of irrigable land and accepts the obligation that fellahs should no longer be employed on the construction. The latter are partially
replaced by machines.

1866
19 March

Ratification of the concession by the Turkish sultan, Abdul-Aziz-Khan
(Egypt is a province of Turkey).

1869
15 August

The waters of the Red Sea join those of the Mediterranean.

186916 November

Inauguration of the Suez Canal.

1872

The Company narrowly avoids bankruptcy.

1875
25 November

The British government buys the 176,602 Compagnie universelle
du canal de Suez shares held by Ismail and thus becomes the principal
shareholder.

187621 February

Convention solving the conflict over the tariffs for using the
shipping canal.

June 1884
to February 1885

Establishment of a works programme for the widening of the
Suez Canal.

18871 March

Authorisation for the night-time navigation of the canal.

1888
22 December

The Constantinople International Convention guaranteeing the neutrality
and free use of the Suez Canal.